What is the AMIET?

The first of its kind in Australia, National Institute of Education (NIE) has launched its Advanced Medical Interview Entry (AMIET) Program in 2019, a preeminent and personally-tailored, psychologically sound, research-based program for developing aspiring doctors and helping them gain entry into medical school.

To put together this program, NIE educational consultants have joined forces with psychological scientists, presentation coaches, medical professionals, psychological consultants and university medical program admissions specialists to create a four-part training program that is as thorough as it is unique.

Available Online or In Person

The AMIET 12-hour program can be booked in full (as four separate 3-hour sessions, and receive the training via Skype or Zoom, or in person near Bond University on the Gold Coast, Australia. Students can also choose to attend a mixture of session formats, such as enjoying three online sessions, and then having their final session on location, should there be booking available.

Sessions are jam-packed with information, industry secrets, personal analysis, mock interview practice, re-enactments, psychometric training, and personalised self-development activities – and the ratios of these parts are decided on a per-client basis, depending on the student’s strengths and weaknesses.

The Bond AMIET Program is an intensively designed immersive learning experience, and is encouraged to be experienced over a two week period. It can be carried out to prepare for this year’s intake (if there is only a short period of time leading into psychometric testing and interviews) or it can be taken over a longer period of time to prepare for next year (2020). It’s never too early to start! It is not advised to complete the program in anything less than a three-day period.

Qualified Psychological Tuition for High-Achieving & Gifted Students

Each AMIET Program is run by a qualified Psychological Consultant who specialises in medical entry programs and high-achieving / gifted & talented students. This is a once in a life-time chance to learn about yourself in detail, prepare yourself for a bright and challenging medical future, and to focus with laser clarity on passing your Bond Uni psychometric test and your medical interviews.

The final results of your preparation are in your own hands as an applicant, yet joining the tailored AMIET Program designed for Bond University Medical Entry will give you the best chances of success. Personalised psychological preparation and practice is designed to bring out a side of every applicant that they never knew they had. Strengths are enhanced, weaknesses are neutralised or lessened, and strategic reasoning takes on a new level of profound awareness.

The same skill set that is learnt during this insightful journey are the same skills that will serve you so well during your medical degree. The most tried and tested parts of this program have been garnering successful results from medical interview applicants for years via NIE’s panel of experienced educational specialists. Reports are that this type of socio-emotional and behavioural training not only increases the efficacy of interview preparation, but also leads to extra resilience, foresight and aptitude during one’s whole medical school career.

Advanced Training for Bond University Medical Interviews

The premier round for the AMIET has been designed for the Bond University Medical Program, which consists of Bachelor of Medical Studies (BMedSt) and Doctor of Medicine (MD). It has been tailored to address the Bond MMI and Bond Psychometric Test. Bookings for the Bond University AMIET Program via NIE opened on the 24th of January 2019 and training spots our filling up fast.

“I wish I had gotten interview training last year. I actually thought I had done well in my Bond MMI at the time. I had answers, and I felt ok, yet I didn’t get an offer. Now I understand that I answered the questions they were asking on the surface, but I didn’t communicate any of the information that I really needed to. I feel pretty silly…”

~ Jeremy

The AMIAT is run differently for each individual applicant, although a breakdown of the general approach can be helpful for applicants to decide whether they would like to experience the whole suite of sessions included in the training program.

A typical Bond AMIET Program is outlined below.

Student Review (Session 1)

Session 1 (3 hours):STUDENT REVIEW. A review of the student and their history, accomplishments and psychological profile. This is followed by an exploration of the process, and context, of tests and interviews for Bond University. A surface examination of the marking criteria for entry to the Bond medical program is begun, using mock interview questions to gather personal information and create future program structures and activities. These activities are prioritised over sessions 1 and 3 (with psychometric training in between), with the areas requiring the most homework addressed first up. Mock interview questions, discussion and personalised activities are designed to include development of:

public speaking techniques

lucid thought-to-speech (the connection between the mind and the mouth)

strategic interjections of accomplishments

relevancy of personal experiences

answering structures (intro, body, conclusion)

context

use of particular words as per student’s individual style

strategies for dealing with scenarios

immersive actor scenario tactics

communication of mental models (and knowing how to recognise when you are being asked to supply one)

answering when shocked

step-by-step exploration of criteria

understanding the ‘underbelly’ of questions asked

techniques for dealing with time and social pressure

authenticity

and many other personalised areas necessary for success during the entry process.

One of the most confronting yet valuable parts of Session 1 is the component that covers ‘How People See You’. It is often the truth that we do not know how others gauge us, and our most loved ones are also not the best judges of this. For example, when you answer questions, do you come across as contrived? Overly-academic? Friendly? Secretive? Unemotive? Calculating? Genuine? Manipulative? Single-minded? Socially versatile? Tactless? Motivated? Biased? Or do you change, depending on the subject matter? Past students have often found this part of interview training to be very valuable as something that helps them understand themselves and others better, long into their academic journeys.

Homework is set to enable full development of a suite of skills, starting with the most important – that is, anything the student is doing that will ‘red-flag’ their interview, or their psychometric test. Personal development of areas that will increase scores are also tackled. And training furthermore takes into account the skills that will help the student most leading into their psychometrics, as learning is scaffolded throughout sessions, depending on a student’s ability to handle cognitive load.

Disclaimer: If there is not too much time left for the student before testing or interviews, the setting of homework tasks and personal tasks targeting improvement may be limited. The Psychological Consultant issues the tasks at their own discretion based on how delicate the confidence of the student is, and how much time is available to fit all the tasks in prior to interview.Confidence on ‘the big day’ is a number one priority.

Deep Psychometrics Training (Session 2)

Session 2 (3 hours): DEEP PSYCHOMETRICS. In-depth psychometric test training, to explore the context of the psychometric tests, is conducted, and this is best explored off the back of Session 1. The Bond University AMIET Program includes discussion on what changes Bond could potentially make to their psychometrics, year-to-year, what psychometric tests for medical entry are designed to really discover, and how to know if your answer is appropriate or not. We discuss social desirability bias and the protections that such tests have in place to ensure students are not lying or cheating.

The training is broken up into focus on five different areas:

Psychometric tests and what they measure

Context of psychometrics at Bond University (and how to recognise what you are being asked)

Personality Tests along with practice items

Emotional Intelligence Tests along with practice items

What your psychometrics say about you

Homework is also issued for any particular areas of improvement in psychometrics that the student reveals themselves to be lacking in by the session’s end.

Personalised Skill Development (Session 3)

Session 3 (3 hours):PERSONALISED SKILL DEVELOPMENT. This follow-up section of interview-based training is a continuation from Session 1 and the homework tasks that were issued. These tasks allow the Psychological Consultant to reach a higher level of analysis when it comes to how the student may react under pressure, and also allow the AMIET Program to progress onto mock interview questions that cover areas the student may not have known about in sufficient detail previously.

Part of earlier sessions of the Bond University AMIET Program deals with students gaining valuable experiences that might be missing from their presentation – and although these experiences may just take 30 minutes to gain, they then need to be practiced and referenced back to during Mock Interview. This is broached and practiced in Session 3.

Mock interview questions are tailored off past questions and off those that allow a student to demonstrate areas of new proficiency. After students have completed homework issued during Sessions 1 and 2, it’s time to look at hard questions relating to the Bond Uni MMI, such as:

Have you been practicing ‘bad’ interview questions?

Do you now have the ability to ‘spot’ which personality traits each question is really addressing?

Can you match questions with criteria?

Are you communicating the best you (including accomplishments, experiences, intimate thoughts, and themes)?

Have you short-wired your anxiety?

Are you showing a viable trajectory, from past to future points of emphasis?

Have you used the prior training to enhance your likability, memorability and trustworthiness?

How do you respond to a wide variety of question materials that may be broached?

When is overconfidence read as ‘not caring’?

Are you now up-to-scratch with crucial areas of knowledge – where lack of tactful and objective information on hand will reveal your innate biases?

Have you worked through any presentation or though-process problems?

Do you have a firm grip on relevant vs non-relevant life examples?

Can you set yourself aside from the pack by offering Bond Uni what they really desire?

And most importantly, do you feel confident and valuable?

Homework tasks set after Session 3 are completely personalised and dependant on the calibre, quirks and most lovable traits to be enhanced in the student involved. Each intimate journey towards interview preparedness is different.

A typical example of Session 3 homework involves being issued questions that are tailored towards that student’s biggest weaknesses and strengths. The student is instructed to stick the papers onto one side of a simulated ‘interview booth’ door in their home. They are instructed to read each question for 120 seconds and go through the specific thought processes that have been designed for them to overcome their own personal difficulties. This activity encourages a student to bring home their teachings, as well as enabling excitement by anchoring those teachings to the physical motion of opening a door to opportunity. Some students require a step-by-step, criteria-led thought processes. Others require mental checklists, visualisations, confidence exercises, mental simulations, or a combination of these tactics to ensure that they enter each MMI booth armed with all the sharpest tools at their disposal.

Students are expected to attend their online (or in-person) training session in full interview attire, and having taken into account all the preparatory facets of presentation, demeanour, self-care and personal strategies that have previously been discussed.

Program participants are advised to be well-rested prior to the session, as two Mock Interviews are covered – with the first followed by an in-depth critical review that serves as a reminder of all areas covered in training, and which also challenges students to the most difficult types of questions that they can expect. This allows the Psychological Consultant to test the extreme bounds of the student’s capabilities and understanding, and it additionally ensures a last opportunity to offer specific advice should the most challenging materials arise. Although a student may only expect a limited number of very challenging booths at their real MMI (depending on what they personally find most challenging), it is safest to be prepared for the ‘very worst’ you might be thrown on the day.

“I failed my Bond MMI last year and decided to ask NIE to help me this year. I never would have guessed that preparing the wrong way could have been so detrimental before. Last year, I used my ‘Why I want to be a doctor’ answer up as soon as I entered the booth. By the time I was asked a similar question, I was all used up. I froze… I knew I was making it worse, and then my negative thoughts took over and it was all down hill. I lost my confidence in every booth. This year I am making sure none of that will happen to me again!”

~ Olivia

The second and last full mock interview is more standard, an immersive experience based on what the student will most likely experience. This allows the student to feel the confidence and elation of a successful Bond MMI simulated experience, after the earlier mock that attends to the subconscious fear of handling questions outside of one’s skill set. This approach has been found to be tiring however practical, safe, enlightening and confidence-enhancing.

AMIET and the Bond University Interview Process

A number of things set Bond University’s medical entry process aside and make it the perfect premier case to demonstrate the proficiency and whole-person approach that can be attained by the AMIET.

Bond is very research-based in their entry process - which the AMIET focuses on. This approach gives benefits to students who are scientifically-minded, rather than disadvantages to scientifically-minded thinkers, as experienced in most emotional intelligence-based and MMI processes.Bond are often one step ahead of the competition. They were innovative in removing the UMAT test and in recognising the importance of research that showed the only section of the old test that predicted quality medical practitioners was the section built around emotional intelligence (‘Understanding People’).

Bond University Psychometrics

More recently, the Bond psychometric test, was introduced in 2018, designed to authentically support Bond’s Graduate Attributes, and it has been personalised for both medical entry and for Bond University, making practice of other online training psychometric tests obsolete, or even detrimental to applicants. The Bond Psychometric Test integrates some of the only psychological measures of ability-based emotional intelligence, to ensure that they are indeed gaining the right types of applicants that suit their course and their innovative approach to breaking new ground whilst remaining traditional in valuable aspects.

Both the 40 minute and 30 minute Bond psychometric tests differ in scope and measurable constructs. It is important for students to understand what types of applicants Bond is looking for, in order to really appreciate the sensitivity of these types of tests.

Some personality type constructs tend to tune into passing states rather than established traits, and so it is of high importance to be in a solid frame of mind when sitting the test. Emotional intelligence itself is situation dependant, and this means that there are no short-cuts to learning what a valuable medical student is and should be. Exploration of values, responsibilities, and risks and threats to the medical school are all necessary parts of psychometric training, should an applicant really want to excel in the way that only full understanding of context allows.

Self-confidence and over-thinking effects all mental types differently. Some students badly misrepresent themselves when faced with Likert scales, or get confused with wanting to show their best side, yet still appear humble. Our best advice is to UNDERSTAND THE INDUSTRY. Understand what the psychometric tools are used for, in order to know the baseline for answering. Explore pictorial stimuli and what effect it has on you as a sitting applicant with your own personal biases and personal experiences. Learn when you should take notice of what emotional feedback, and which parts of this feedback are socially appropriate to record in a testing environment. If multiple choice answers come easy to you, but you can’t tell the difference between using them as a measure of self-awareness or a measure of situational judgement, you need psychometric training. The AMIET offers standard background in psychometrics that you will have to understand in some speciality areas of medicine one day, regardless.

And then this information becomes personalised and practical, by allowing students to attempt psychometric testing items themselves while gaining immediate feedback, and its accompanying self-reflection that leads to rapid improvement of scores.

The AMIET is ground-breaking in its approach to industry standards.The 2018-2019 trend in medical entry is towards encouraging attributes that will lead to better quality medical professionals in an increasingly automated industry, and it is upon each Australian university to keep abreast of these developments. The Bond Psychometric Test ensures that successful applicants approach the next stage of the process with a well-rounded, organic skill set and a true understanding of emotions, people, context and self that takes much effort to develop. If medical interview training doesn’t change and authentically improve you for practicing medicine, it’s not real training!

The high levels of critical thinking that have gotten students this far can often be their downfall in tests of this nature, unless students can understand the true context of why and how critical thinking is important, and when and why it should complement, replace or dilute more empathetic reasoning. The personality tests that interact with the emotional intelligence component of the test measure some socio-emotional/behavioural traits of an individual that are instinctually desirable, however also some that are research-based and not obvious to the individual who is revealing their nature. Social desirability bias is also taken into account, and the AMIET covers the methods used to ensure that test applicants are not lying and are indeed revealing their true natures.

NIE encourages authentic self-improvement and industry learning in all regards. The AMIET puts a focus on discussions of research and information that makes learning points not only memorable, but integrates them into the natural approach of the applicant in order to avoid the bane of practical ‘overthinking’. Although all final improvements and effort rest on the student, our decades of experience in the industry have found that high-achieving students are usually all too ready to work on improving areas relating to situational-based states and traits when they are given the chance. It’s not an easy approach, but it is easily understandable, and helps to create the best types of medical students who will be able to withstand the arduous road ahead.

Bond University MMI Training

The ultimate and worldwide trend in medical entry techniques, reflected in Bond University’s MMI style, focuses on the intentions of educators to design coaching-proof measures of constructs to truly find the best applicants – and this means that most types of coaching will only get you so far. Most coaching methods are just that! ‘Coaching’ to teach falsity or manipulation to cheat results. However times have changed – There are no genuine coaching programs that can avoid attending to the individual and their personal development as they improve themselves. You cannot ‘short-cut’ types of tests and interview methods that are designed to bring equity to medical entry. Medical applicants from all backgrounds are required in the medicine of tomorrow. Each of you genuinely needs to put in the hard work to learn what type of student you are expected to be, and to BECOME that type of student. This requires a motivation and sensitivity to self that can be encouraged through psychological training, industry knowledge, interview learning, and authentic practice. Ivy League level education universities such as Bond recognise all of this, and more. They want the real you. Yet all assessment methods present motivated individuals with ways in which they can meet criteria and improve their scores with some solid, hard work.

The Bond Uni MMI is as forward thinking as their medical degree. Once again, there are no shortcuts for dealing with the social pressure techniques that are applied, within interviews and within the meta-sense of content focus of questions asked. The approach that Bond uses is very sufficient at detecting genuine empathy, and also for detecting which students perform well under pressure. It is not encouraged to try to prepare answers by rote for their style of interview, as subtle emphasis changes year-to-year can change the context of questions asked and re-prioritise the criteria applied to that booth.

As always, the best way to prepare well for the most important day of your life so far is to KNOW YOURSELF, know the university, know the interview style, know the context in which you are being asked questions, and prepare for a wide range of circumstances that can affect your performance on the day and your final result. NIE’s Bond University AMIET has been prepared to help aspiring medical doctors do this, whilst at all times coordinating the teaching of MMI materials and criteria with an individual and all that they bring.

Booking your AMIET

As the Bond University AMIET Program is conducted by qualified Psychological Consultants, one-on-one, with each program tailored per student, there are very limited places. Book now to avoid missing out.

Would you like to address your UCAT, Interviews, & Med School Application requirements?

For a limited time we are offering an opportunity of a one-to-one personalised consultation with a UCAT Specialist who will answer all your questions, and get you started on YOUR Medical Entry journey.